Almost since I started blogging there
was one thing I wanted to talk about. My love for the actor/comedian Bob
Hope. I was lucky to grow up when he was still doing his variety
specials, and loved every one of them. I wanted to do an article on him,
but just listing his specials sounded boring even to me. Of course we
can also discuss his movies, USO shows, commercials, the way he was
master of the monologue, and live shows which I am proud to say I was in
the audience of once. This guy was a true legend.
So instead what I will do is discuss six specials appearances by Bob Hope. Those times when he popped up unexpectedly, or as a guest star, and stole the show. Here now are six favorite Bob Hope "special appearances".
#6.The Tonight Show
One night back in the good old days, Don Rickles as guest hosting The Tonight Show when Bob Hope and friends decided to surprise Don. This clip is doubly special for me, because just recently I had the pleasure of seeing Don Rickles live at Foxwoods.
CLICK HERE!
#5.Spies Like Us
How do you spice up a horrible movie? Well ok, horrible may be an overstatement. This Chevy Chase and Dan Aykroyd vehicle was ok. In the middle of one scene, Bob Hope suddenly appears and delivers a straight line. It's a nice homage to his classic road movies with Bing Crosby.
CLICK HERE!
#4.The Jack Benny Show
Ok kids, we're going into the waayyyy back machine now. I have no idea what age this is but it's sure old. The whole sketch is Jack Benny trying to talk Bing Crosby into being on his show. What does that have to do with Bob Hope? Well not to spoil it he pops up in the end with the funniest line of the sketch.
CLICK HERE!
#3.The Muppet Show
Yeah Bob Hope had a history with The Muppets. I loved his cameo in The Muppet Movie, it was short and sweet. But I couldn't find a clip of that so instead let's discuss his appearace on The Muppet Show. It was hard to get Bob Hope to really appear because of his schedule, but he did manage to appear in one great song number.
CLICK HERE!
#2.Dolly
Dolly Parton had her own show briefly back in 1988. I only saw the Christmas episode and this one which starred Miss.Piggy. The show was OK but we can discuss that another day. One Hope's best movies was Paleface with Jane Russell. It was a surprisingly good western and I loved it. In this sketch from Dolly's show Bob Hope reprises his role of Potter from that movie, and does a rendition of the classic "Buttons and Bows" song.
For some reason the clip is broken into two parts so:
PART 1 PART 2
And as a bonus, here is the original version from the great movie.
#1.The Golden Girls
Bob Hope was known for many things but doing sitcoms wasn't one of them. Somehow they got him to agree to be in this one, and it's one of my favorite episodes. The plot is silly and even kind of nonsensical. But it's also leading up to that last sceen when Bob Hope appears. The clip is below I apologize for the sound quality.
CHECK IT OUT HERE!!
Finally, here is a tribute to Bob Hope from the Academy Awards. This sums things up very nicely
CLICK HERE!
Do I have to say that this isn't even a drop in the bucket? Bob Hope appeared in so many things that I could be here all day. I was a major fan of the actor/comedian and it was a very sad day when he passed away in 2002. I am consider myself lucky that I got to see him live and enjoy his fantastic vareity specials in the 80's.
So instead what I will do is discuss six specials appearances by Bob Hope. Those times when he popped up unexpectedly, or as a guest star, and stole the show. Here now are six favorite Bob Hope "special appearances".
#6.The Tonight Show
One night back in the good old days, Don Rickles as guest hosting The Tonight Show when Bob Hope and friends decided to surprise Don. This clip is doubly special for me, because just recently I had the pleasure of seeing Don Rickles live at Foxwoods.
CLICK HERE!
#5.Spies Like Us
How do you spice up a horrible movie? Well ok, horrible may be an overstatement. This Chevy Chase and Dan Aykroyd vehicle was ok. In the middle of one scene, Bob Hope suddenly appears and delivers a straight line. It's a nice homage to his classic road movies with Bing Crosby.
CLICK HERE!
#4.The Jack Benny Show
Ok kids, we're going into the waayyyy back machine now. I have no idea what age this is but it's sure old. The whole sketch is Jack Benny trying to talk Bing Crosby into being on his show. What does that have to do with Bob Hope? Well not to spoil it he pops up in the end with the funniest line of the sketch.
CLICK HERE!
#3.The Muppet Show
Yeah Bob Hope had a history with The Muppets. I loved his cameo in The Muppet Movie, it was short and sweet. But I couldn't find a clip of that so instead let's discuss his appearace on The Muppet Show. It was hard to get Bob Hope to really appear because of his schedule, but he did manage to appear in one great song number.
CLICK HERE!
#2.Dolly
Dolly Parton had her own show briefly back in 1988. I only saw the Christmas episode and this one which starred Miss.Piggy. The show was OK but we can discuss that another day. One Hope's best movies was Paleface with Jane Russell. It was a surprisingly good western and I loved it. In this sketch from Dolly's show Bob Hope reprises his role of Potter from that movie, and does a rendition of the classic "Buttons and Bows" song.
For some reason the clip is broken into two parts so:
PART 1 PART 2
And as a bonus, here is the original version from the great movie.
#1.The Golden Girls
Bob Hope was known for many things but doing sitcoms wasn't one of them. Somehow they got him to agree to be in this one, and it's one of my favorite episodes. The plot is silly and even kind of nonsensical. But it's also leading up to that last sceen when Bob Hope appears. The clip is below I apologize for the sound quality.
CHECK IT OUT HERE!!
Finally, here is a tribute to Bob Hope from the Academy Awards. This sums things up very nicely
CLICK HERE!
Do I have to say that this isn't even a drop in the bucket? Bob Hope appeared in so many things that I could be here all day. I was a major fan of the actor/comedian and it was a very sad day when he passed away in 2002. I am consider myself lucky that I got to see him live and enjoy his fantastic vareity specials in the 80's.
Les
ReplyDelete8:17 PM on June 27, 2014
Hi richb. BRAVO! This is a wonderful tribute to a departed national treasure. I don't have clips access, but look for the Tonight Show where Bob Hope and Dean Martin crashed the show with Buddy Rich, George Goebel...can't remember the third star scheduled....it is ad-libbing greatness, my friend. This aired back when the show was taped in New York before the move to Burbank. Peace.